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Alright ya'all, time for some big questions, and it might get a bit lengthy here. 1949 F1, stock rear leaf springs, with every other leaf removed, approximately how much of a drop in ride height at the rear can I expect ? Number 2 question. Jag XJ6 IFS, taken from car with a straight 6 Cylinder, weighs 604 pounds. My Flathead, probably a bit under 500 pounds.. Now, with the front end solidly mounted, and no coils removed on the Jag front end, how much of a rake can I expect, if any ? The Jag 6 is heavier than theFlathead, and it looks like the engine sets further forward than the Flathead also. I would like about a 3" rake on my truck, and IF I have to remove a coil or 1/2 coil from the Jag IFS, I sure would like to do it before the entire truck is put back together. Thanks again to the best Ford Truck site going !
There is no simple answer to your question. Front vs rear tire sizes, which of 3 Jag springs, number of shim washers under the front springs, how you mounted the Jag IFS, eyes reversed on the original rear springs, rotated the front hanger for the rear springs to name a few variables. To start decide on the front tire size that will not rub on turns. I ended up with Front 215 60 R16 and rear 235 65 R16 rears.
My 49 with the above tires, original early Jag xj6 springs, no shims at front springs, hard mounted Jag, reversed eyes on original rear springs, every other leaf removed, rotated the front hanger of the rear springs 90 degrees, and a sbc with 700R4 AOD.
There is no simple answer to your question. Front vs rear tire sizes, which of 3 Jag springs, number of shim washers under the front springs, how you mounted the Jag IFS, eyes reversed on the original rear springs, rotated the front hanger for the rear springs to name a few variables. To start decide on the front tire size that will not rub on turns. I ended up with Front 215 60 R16 and rear 235 65 R16 rears.
My 49 with the above tires, original early Jag xj6 springs, no shims at front springs, hard mounted Jag, reversed eyes on original rear springs, every other leaf removed, rotated the front hanger of the rear springs 90 degrees, and a sbc with 700R4 AOD.
As I stayed, SOLID mount, NO flipped eyes on rear leaf springs, and I am not sure WHAT you mean by 3 Jag Springs, or number of shims under springs ??? It looks like your truck has no rake, but that's probably from flipping your spring eyes. If you can explain a little more, I would appreciate it. Thank you !
The point 49willard is making is that if you get it spot on first time its more by luck than judgement. And no way are you going to be sure enough to be cutting coils before you put it on its wheels. Not that I would ever be cutting coils to set ride height anyway. The XJs had 3 different springs fitted to them over the years then there is OEM, Pattern Part and age to consider. I think the shims set pre-load but its been a while since I changed one.
Larry,
My truck does have a rake with the conditions as I enumerated in my above post. The lowest front edge of the running board measures 6 3/4 " above the floor and the rear at 9 1/2" above the floor. I did everything I could reasonably do to bring the rear down to minimize the rake. In short, the Jag IFS will bring the front of the truck down a lot. There is the option of installing some shims under the Jag springs to remove some of the rake however in my case the lower control arms are level without any shims which I want to avoid bumpsteer.
It is unlikely that someone will be able to give you the precise number for your conditions on your truck. If you do get a precise number, I would take that with a grain of salt.
Larry,
My truck does have a rake with the conditions as I enumerated in my above post. The lowest front edge of the running board measures 6 3/4 " above the floor and the rear at 9 1/2" above the floor. I did everything I could reasonably do to bring the rear down to minimize the rake. In short, the Jag IFS will bring the front of the truck down a lot. There is the option of installing some shims under the Jag springs to remove some of the rake however in my case the lower control arms are level without any shims which I want to avoid bumpsteer.
It is unlikely that someone will be able to give you the precise number for your conditions on your truck. If you do get a precise number, I would take that with a grain of salt.
Thank ya'all for all your information. At this point I guess it' s a bit of knowledge from fellow builders, and some educated guess's ! I noticed a few different articles from the past, and present, about keeping the Jag IFS level with the frame, wouldn't this have a negative effect on Caster with the rake I' m looking for. Other readers have suggested installing the front end a few degrees nose up. This makes sense to me. Any help here appreciated. No matter what the outcome, my '49 has to have a rake. Once again, big thanks to everyone !
Larry,
Keeping the Jag crossmember level with an assembled truck sets the correct caster per Jaguar specs. With the soft mounted Jag IFS properly located and the rear Jag soft mounts bolted to the bottom of the frame, hold off final fab of the front mounts. Then (probably much later) with the assembled truck fabricate the front mounts to set the crossmember level. In my case it was about right with 3/4" wood blocks between the bottom of the frame and the top of the front jag mount.
There is probably quite a big tolerance on what you can do. The Jag would most likely have been designed to be level and the cross member zero to 2 degrees up for anti-dive geometry. So if you are intent on having a nose down stance it follows as you describe to take that into account. Most people buying pickups would want it to work carrying a load too so setting it for level makes sense to them to do that. There is some adjustment for fine-tuning castor on the set-up using shims. The best advice I could give is don't spend much time or money on the rear until the front is done and you have done a few miles to settle it.
Larry
The way the Jag coils are designed, I don't think you can cut the coils. They are flat on the top and bottom - designed with the top and very bottom of the coil spring tapered to be flat. I bought lowering springs from Australia (cost about the same as replacement coils including shipping) but I haven't installed them yet. Once I remove the plastic spacers and install the lowered coils, I am hoping for 1 to 1.5 inch drop in the front of my F1.
Larry,
Keeping the Jag crossmember level with an assembled truck sets the correct caster per Jaguar specs. With the soft mounted Jag IFS properly located and the rear Jag soft mounts bolted to the bottom of the frame, hold off final fab of the front mounts. Then (probably much later) with the assembled truck fabricate the front mounts to set the crossmember level. In my case it was about right with 3/4" wood blocks between the bottom of the frame and the top of the front jag mount.
You're confusing the Hell out of me now willard. In a previous reply, you stated your Jag IFS was hard mounted, and it dropped thefront down quite a bit. Then in a follow up you talked about your Jag IFS being soft mounted !?!?! What's the story ?
